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art_books_chemistry's reviews
532 reviews
Leather & Lark by Brynne Weaver
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Confinement, Gun violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Terminal illness, Kidnapping, Grief, and Religious bigotry
Little Dinos Don't Hit by Michael Dahl, Adam Record
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Let's start with how this book didn't even set itself up well. I was super confused listening to the first chapter/prologue, whatever it is, because it sounded like the publisher talking about the book and I thought it was a forward of some sort that I could skip or zone out on. Glad I didn't since it turned out to be the real first chapter. Ran into one of my bookclub friends who thought the same and did skip it, so I was able to tell her to go back. But I know a lot of bookworms that skip forwards and prologues so this is definitely an oversight of Horowitz to not make it clearer what is going on from the outset.
The first half of Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is Magpie Murders by Alan Conway, the fictional author inside Horowitz's story. I liked it well enough, it felt like a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot set post WWII. The real story, is actually set in the modern day and follows the editor of Conway's detective series because the last chapter of MM by Conway is actually missing (naturally).
The modern day half of the book feels even more derivative than the book inside the book. It's also wildly repetitive, I think we hear some of the same clues/information three times in some cases. Nothing about the storyline felt orignal, more like Horowitz took all his favorite red herrings and twists from the great classic detective stories, threw them in a pie, and baked them all together using Elmer's glue. Yep, purposefully picked the bad glue since the plot is weak and the solution is clear.
To add insult to injury, I was telling my husband about the book and he stopped and asked what the name was again because it sounded to him just like the Anthony Horowitz he read recently, The Word is Murder. I haven't read it so I can't draw the parallels but he said it was weirdly similar sounding. So not only is Horowitz derivative of the best classic detective novels, he's derivative of himself. Husband said the same about the second in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series and stopped reading them but he was disappointed because he loved the Alex Ryder books as a kid.
The first half of Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz is Magpie Murders by Alan Conway, the fictional author inside Horowitz's story. I liked it well enough, it felt like a mash-up of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot set post WWII. The real story, is actually set in the modern day and follows the editor of Conway's detective series because the last chapter of MM by Conway is actually missing (naturally).
The modern day half of the book feels even more derivative than the book inside the book. It's also wildly repetitive, I think we hear some of the same clues/information three times in some cases. Nothing about the storyline felt orignal, more like Horowitz took all his favorite red herrings and twists from the great classic detective stories, threw them in a pie, and baked them all together using Elmer's glue. Yep, purposefully picked the bad glue since the plot is weak and the solution is clear.
To add insult to injury, I was telling my husband about the book and he stopped and asked what the name was again because it sounded to him just like the Anthony Horowitz he read recently, The Word is Murder. I haven't read it so I can't draw the parallels but he said it was weirdly similar sounding. So not only is Horowitz derivative of the best classic detective novels, he's derivative of himself. Husband said the same about the second in the Hawthorne & Horowitz series and stopped reading them but he was disappointed because he loved the Alex Ryder books as a kid.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Violence
Minor: Homophobia
Try On My Hat!: An Anti-Bias Book for Children by Bill Weber
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
King by T.M. Frazier
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Gun violence, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Grief, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
The Duke's Marriage of Convenience by Fiona Miers
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The Very Fairy Princess Sparkles in the Snow by Julie Andrews, Emma Walton Hamilton
inspiring
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Bride by Ali Hazelwood
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Chasing The Wild by Elliott Rose
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Do you have a bit of a thing for Rip from Yellowstone? Say Hello to Colt from Crimson Ridge. He's broody, he's gorgeous, and violent when need necessitates. Oh yes, we do in fact have a bit of touch her and die syndrome. This is Birthday Girl meets ranch life. Our MCs have good back stories, though personally I think they could have been fleshed out more (pun intended hehe). I do appreciate that we don't need to wait forever to get to the fun bits of Colt and Layla's relationship.
There's really nothing slow burn around here, more like a wildfire being held back by a faulty fire break. Which is kind of a weird analogy for a story about getting snowed in on a mountain multiple times for weeks in a row, but what's better to stay warm than "snuggles" in the horse barn or back seat of a truck? There were parts of the dialogue that became a bit too cliche or else my rating would be higher because on the flip side, the dirty talk was On.Point.
Overall, I definitely recommend this for a 50/50 plot/spice romance. Characters are not flat and have real life struggles. It's not the fastest read, but when there's heat it's off the charts.
There's really nothing slow burn around here, more like a wildfire being held back by a faulty fire break. Which is kind of a weird analogy for a story about getting snowed in on a mountain multiple times for weeks in a row, but what's better to stay warm than "snuggles" in the horse barn or back seat of a truck? There were parts of the dialogue that became a bit too cliche or else my rating would be higher because on the flip side, the dirty talk was On.Point.
Overall, I definitely recommend this for a 50/50 plot/spice romance. Characters are not flat and have real life struggles. It's not the fastest read, but when there's heat it's off the charts.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing and Sexual content
Minor: Gun violence, Infidelity, Blood, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment